


Just Shoot Me Cupid

by Chevy



Category: Power Rangers Dino Thunder, Power Rangers Ninja Storm
Genre: Dustin's heart is in the right place, Hunter is an angry man, I made up their families, M/M, Mention: child abuse, Multi, Playing fast and loose with that PRNS canon, The parents know, trigger warning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-22
Updated: 2017-03-22
Packaged: 2018-10-09 05:57:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10405434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chevy/pseuds/Chevy
Summary: The Rangers go up against Lothor's newest goon, whose powers force Hunter to confront his feelings for Shane.





	

Dustin was different in the aftermath of Marah’s betrayal. There was a little innocence stripped from his smile, the sparkle in his eyes had dulled. He seemed to catch his words before he said them now, where before he would have blurted the first thing that came to his mind.

The Brooks were a big family with loving parents; four boys and three girls. The eldest sister Mary lived in the garage converted to a flat with her two young children. Harry lived forty minutes away with five kids. There was Dustin, then Abby was a junior, Tim and Johnny were six and ten respectively.

Basically, for an only child from a single parent home, the Brooks' home was a loud, rambunctious heaven. There was eggs and bacon cooking when Tori made her way through the door. Abby was feeding her baby niece and trying to complete homework at the same time. Timmy was sitting in a booster seat, making a mess out of his breakfast.

"Hi Tori! How are you sweetie? We haven't seen you in forever. Timmy, don't throw food. Johnny, you're not eating that for breakfast. Sit down and have some real food," Mrs Brooks rounded the kitchen counter and kissed Tori's cheek on the fly, delivering instructions to her children while she slid a plate of bacon on the table. Johnny put the pop tart down sulkily. Abby loaded his plate with eggs and gave Tori a grin capped in braces.

"Waldo’s upstairs. Being weird" she gave Tori a significant look on the emphasis.

"Abigail, eat your breakfast. Would you like something to eat, Tori love?" Mrs Brooks scolded her daughter and wiped her hands on a dish cloth.

Tori leaned on the island, comfortable in this room where she'd spent countless hours since meeting Dustin when they'd begun their Ninja training.

"No thank you, Mrs Brooks. Is it okay if I go up and see Dustin?"

Leaning across, Dustin's mum lowered her voice. "Is he okay? I know...we're not supposed to talk about the Academy. We know..." she sighed as Tori's face automatically shuttered. Straightening, she pushed a hand through her dark, messy hair. "Just...is he okay?" she asked, softly.

The bickering at the table ceased as the others listened in. Tori glanced towards the stairs. Her heart felt heavy and achy, dragging all the automatic 'of course he'll be okay, he's fine, everything's fine' responses back down her throat. "I hope so, Mrs Brooks" she said finally.

After watching her for a moment, the older woman handed her a plate of toast and sent her up the stairs.

Dustin used to share his room with Harry and had a portable cradle at the end of his bed for when he watched the babies when Mary was on night shift. There was a pair of moto boots-his old ones- kicked off behind the door. Tori had to push them out of the way to enter, calling his name as she went.

He was standing up from push-ups when she looked up.

"Dustin..." she started, slowly, carefully.

His face was dripping sweat, his torso gleaming and as he gave her a forced smile and waved, it was obvious he was breathless. His knees were shaking.

"Hey....Tori...what are you...doing here?" he gasped.

"Came to see if you wanted a ride to Ninjops...Dustin, this is crazy; how long have you been at it?" she demanded, putting his toast down on a desk stacked with magazines, a couple of manuals and Dumbbells.

He waved dismissively, scooping a towel off the ground and wiping his face. "It's fine, okay? Jeez, Tor, stop looking at me like that"

"Like what? Like you're hurting and you're not talking about it? Like I just found you killing yourself at cardio when we have training this morning anyway?" Tori demanded, folding her arms.

He had his back turned and was tugging on a t-shirt jerkily. "Leave it alone Tori" he snapped, turning to face her.

She glared and he glared back, mirroring her akimbo stance. "No. Please, Dustin. Everyone is worried about you" she gentled her voice.

He scuffed his hair. "I'm...look, Tori; that stuff with Marah...yeah, it was way harsh, but I'll live"

"I know" Tori pointed out quietly.

Their eyes met. "You forgive him, right? Blake"

She pursed her lips. The simple answer was yes, because you couldn’t date someone you didn’t trust. The hard answer was that sometimes she still looked at Blake like she was expecting him to lash out or stare at her blankly, and sometimes Blake held her like he was afraid he’d lose her. "Dustin. It's not the same. Marah is _evil_. Blake and Hunter were just as much victims of Lothor as we were"

He swallowed, biting his lip. "Yeah, but you know what this feels like. It sucks,"

She hesitated, then nodded. "You know that we're here for you, right? You can talk to us. All of us."

"I talk. I talked to Shane about it. He's been kinda...you know. Since Skylar,” he said defensively.

But Shane's broken heart had made him softer, not harder, Tori thought. Her mouth twisted but all she said was: “I’m here for you, okay?”

He shrugged. "I know" he looked at his feet and gave her a genuine smile.

Some of the tension dropped out of Tori at the sight. She returned it and leaned over to hug him. "Phew! Okay, you need to shower before you get in my van, okay? You're gross"

He laughed and gave her a gentle shove. "Well get lost then"

*******

Hunter and Shane were already at it when Tori and Dustin arrived. Tori checked her watch as she entered the dojo, then rolled her eyes towards Dustin. Blake was stretching to the side of the mats, watching his brother and the Red Ranger with a fond, exasperated look. He smiled brightly when he saw Tori. Dustin felt a pang right in his chest and looked away as they greeted each other with shy smiles and a stolen kiss. He watched his fellow Rangers on the mats, instead.

Shane had Hunter sprawled on the ground in an arm bar. "Ready to give up?" he growled into the Crimson Ranger’s ear.

Hunter's heavy breaths caught and for a moment he looked dazed in a way that didn't seem to have anything to do with the fighting. He shook himself out of it quickly and sprang around, a brutal elbow strike forcing Shane to let go. He kick-flipped back to his feet and the two of them circled, both grinning. "Keep dreaming, oh mighty Wind Ninja," Hunter taunted and they flew at one another again.

Dustin watched them, saw the way their eyes would meet when they should have been watching their opponent’s shoulders for the coming blow, saw Hunter’s smile as Shane ducked around his kick, Shane’s breathless laugh as Hunter winked and danced backwards. They’d been like that, recently, all half-smiles when they thought the other one wasn’t looking, pulled punches and teasing little nudges; or maybe it would just that Dustin was looking at the world like he was cursed to be forever alone while all around him, his friends were finding love and romance on every corner. When he’d bought it up with Shane, his friend didn’t seem to know what he was talking about.

Cam entered a moment later. "You guys, you're supposed to wait for Sensei," he scowled, throwing a bag down beside the supercomputer.

"Yeah. Right," Tori drawled. She nudged Dustin out of his daze and gestured for him to help her stretch.

He nodded and frowned at the still-sparring Rangers. Shane had been the only one he'd really talked to about the way the sting of betrayal still echoed through his chest. It took him off guard, at the strangest moments. Especially around Tori and Blake, who had mutually decided to go all in, letting go of the past and focusing on building something together.

Halfway across the monkey bars on the obstacle course, Dustin’s arms failed and he dropped all the way to the ground. Shane winced as the Yellow Ranger shook it off and jogged through to the next obstacle, the vertical climb.

"Brutal," he commented.

"Probably something to do with the work out he's been doing before training," said Tori, coming up beside him with Blake in tow. She waved him ahead of them.

Shane frowned. "What do you mean?"

She explained the state she'd found Dustin in at his house when she picked him up. She had to pause as Shane's attention was diverted by a shout of encouragement.

Hunter was balanced at the top of the vertical climb, reaching down to help drag Dustin over the top. The Thunder Ranger’s arms bulged as he took the weight, sweat plastering blond hair to his face, his smile wide and victorious and pure. Hunter’s real smiles, as opposed to his crooked smirks, were becoming more common. This one had the power to stop a person in their tracks, so it wasn’t like Tori blamed Shane for staring.

She clicked her fingers to get his attention. "Hey. Earth to Shane?"

He flinched and turned to her sheepishly. "Uh, yeah, yeah, I hear you. I'll talk to him, definitely."

She looked curiously between the group at the wall and Shane. He could feel heat rising on the back of his neck and fought a tide of defensiveness. "Come on, we better get moving," he said as he swung out onto the horizontal bars.

"Yo, Wind Ninjas! You having a picnic back there or what?" Hunter shouted out.

"Just giving....you...a head...start," Shane called between swings.

Blake sniggered. Hunter praised his fingers off the top of the wall in retribution.

Cam appeared as Tori crossed the rope swing after the vertical wall. He'd been well ahead of them, but had run back along the track beside the course. "Guys, Cyber-Cam has something on the sensors. Unidentified goon heading for the city. Doesn't look friendly," he explained. "I'll head back to Ninjaops and get a handle on the situation. I'll meet you guys out there."

The Rangers looked at each other seriously, each of them straightening from where they had been catching their breath.

"Ready?"

"Ready!"

*meanwhile, on Luthors ship*

"I still don't understand why Uncle is sending Cupiditious. He might be super fashionable but he's not exactly scary!" Marah complained, watching as the alien sent a police officer flying through the air. He skidded across the concrete and lay still. People in the mall scattered, screaming.

"Because of you silly! You totally broke that stupid Yellow Ranger’s heart and all of the Rangers felt super bad for him. They're weak because of their looooovvee. Now Cupiditous is going to make them regret it. Like, forever!" Kapri replied gleefully.

"Exactly! Finally, one of you is actually worth something to my evil plans!" Luthor declared, clapping Marah on the shoulder. She gave him a bright smile that sank away as soon as he and Kapri turned their attention back to the screens.

"Didn't we already try making them fall in love with that Blue Ranger? Because it, like, totally didn't work," she pointed out prissily.

On the screen, the Rangers had appeared to challenge Luthor’s alien. Luthor laughed loudly.

"Oh, no, no, my nefarious protégée: Cupidititous has a serum that sends his victims into a deathless sleep and binds them with a magical spell! The Power Rangers will miss my great victory because they will all be asleep!"

 

Slamming into the ground, Tori climbed to her feet and pulled Blake up next to her.

"You okay?" she shouted as Hunter and Dustin engaged the alien.

Cupiditious stood on four legs and had one limb that shot projectiles like a crossbow. He was entirely pink with overlarge red lips and heart shaped eyes.

"Yeah, I'm good. Help me get this guy out of here!" he shouted.

They'd landed next to a Blue Bay Harbor police officer, seemingly unconscious on the ground. He was covered from head to toe in pink glitter and tiny red hearts, and a smoking mark right over his heart that looked like a target. Blake pulled a glove off and held his palm above the man’s nose and mouth.

"He's breathing-look out!" He pushed Tori out of the way as Shane came flying through the air and hit the cruiser with a terrible crunch and flying sparks.

"Get back out there, I'll get him clear!" Tori told Blake, grabbing the policeman's arms. As she got the man into cover, another officer slid onto the ground beside them. She was bleeding from the forehead, the blood brilliant against her skin.

"Will?! Will?!! Don't you be dead, God, please, don't you be dead!" she painted, ignoring the spandex wearing superhero beside her. She put her ear to his chest and touched his face softly. "Dammit, Will" she whispered, leaning forward and dropped a kiss on her partner’s slack mouth.

Tori turned her back on the private moment, looking around the wall to scout the situation. Suddenly, Will the police officer gasped and shuddered violently alert. Tori jumped, surprised.

"Vi? Wha' happened?" he spluttered.

Vi sobbed.

"You have to get out of here, both of you," Tori ordered.

The woman nodded shakily. Tori sprinted out, unsheathing her sword as she ran.

"Nice of you to join us!" Hunter shouted, coming up on her side.

"Shane's down!" Dustin joined them. He had pink and red glitter smeared up his side. “Cam, you have to beam him back to Ops, he’s not waking up!”

"Okay, I have had it with this guy!" Tori snarled, swinging her sword till it whistled.

"Oh, I hear you. He is going the hell down!" Hunter agreed, furiously.

"I'm not feeling the LOOOVVE Rangers!" their foe mocked them and fired again. The arrow shaped projectile exploded and the Rangers were thrown everywhere. Blake and Hunter rolled to their feet as one.

“Let’s get this guy,” Blake cried, and looked at his brother, only to find Hunter’s helmet was facing Shane’s prone figure as a beam shimmered him away.

Dustin and Tori were running at the alien, ninja-swords flashing.

“Hunter! Come on, man!” Blake shouted, giving him a shake.

They entered the fray in unison. Dustin was thrown back and got to his feet unsteadily. The Thunder Rangers struck blow after blow, while Tori circled, looking for an opening. Hunter stumbled, hammering wildly with his staff, and Blake wheeled backwards, dodging a snake-like strike from their opponent. Taking advantage of the split-second advantage, Cupiditious aimed his weapon-appendage directly at Hunter; a glittering red arrow screamed through the air towards him, as Blake dived and knocked his brother clear. The arrow scraped across Blake’s back and exploded in a ball of glitter and rose petals.

“Blake!” Hunter’s pained shout invigorated the enemy, his laugh filling the air. Blake fell onto his elbow and arched his back with a roar of agony. Hunter grabbed him to investigate, seeking the wound on his back. It smoked, like a burn, and reeked of overpowering perfume.

“Hang in there Blake, just hold on! Cam! Cam, get us outta here!” he bellowed into his Morpher, curled over Blake’s body protectively as the fight raged on.

Blake screamed again, shuddering. Tori rushed in with Dustin; they attacked furiously, until Tor’s blade sliced Cupiditious’ chest. Sparks flew and the creature hit the ground.

“Don’t go thinking this is over now, darlings!” the alien hissed and then beamed away.

Tori took a knee beside Blake, retracting her visor. “Blake! Oh god, Blake!” she cried, gripping his arm. All at once, he breathed deep again and groaned.

“Oh…oh man, that sucked!” he muttered, turning his hand over blindly and threading their fingers together. “That was way weird. I’m fine, baby,” he assured her.

She smiled softly. After years of _baby, sweetie_ and _dollface_ from chauvinist meatheads on the beach, she didn’t think she’d take to the pet names Blake had started calling her. There was just something about the way he said them, like every syllable was _I am yours_ _and this is how I show it,_ that got to her. She kissed the back of his hand and began to get up. “Let’s get back to-”

Tori didn’t get a chance to finish; the moment her hand disconnected with Blake’s, he cried out, a tidal wave of pain smashing his body. He was left panting wildly in the wake of it as Tori fell to her knees and grabbed him again. The Rangers all froze.

Hunter, who hadn’t let go of Blake once, met Tori’s wide, frightened blue eyes. “Okay. Keep your hands on him. Cam? Get us the hell out of here,” he barked.

They landed in a tangled mess on the floor of Ninjops, back in their training uniforms.

“What happened?” Cam demanded, rushing over to them. He pulled Dustin to his feet and clapped Hunter on the shoulder as the Crimson Ranger stood and looked over his shoulder. Shane was laying on the table, still as death. His heart broke, a sharp, shredding jolt that echoed through his body. He looked down at his little brother, who was curled in Tori’s arms.

“Cam,” Hunter said. His voice was strangled. “Please tell me you’ve got some answers.”

“Haven’t I always? Show me where you were hit,” demanded Cam, crouching beside Tori and Blake.

“If I’m not touching him, the pain comes back,” Tori told him, voice trembling.

Blake leaned his forehead against her neck. “I’m okay,” he whispered, hoarse from screaming.

“The hell you are. He was screaming like he was gunna die,” Hunter snarled, clenching and unclenching his fists.

“What about Shane? Is he gunna be okay?” Blake ignored Hunter. He was sitting up now, leaning on Tori.

The three of them got his top off so Cam could study the wound.

Beside them, their transformed Sensei watched on protectively. “We will know more when Shane wakes up. How are you feeling, Blake?” he said calmly.

“Not great, Sensei,” Blake admitted roughly.

Cam was busy with a handheld detector over Blake’s back. His computer beeped and he hurried over to it. An undulating graph appeared on the screen and he studied it intently. Dustin was standing by Shane, watching his naked chest rise and fall. His shirt laid pulled open, glitter scattered on the ground around them. After helping Tori get Blake into a chair, Hunter joined him. Dustin watched as Hunter’s face changed. The tough big brother disappeared, replaced by something raw and broken. His fingers clenched in his shirt, muscles bulging in his tightly folded arms.

“This _sucks_ ,” he snarled, softly.

Dustin nodded. He didn’t know what to say. “I know man. He’s gunna be okay.”

The Crimson Ranger made a wounded sound that took Dustin’s breath away. He’d never heard Hunter sound so _hurt_ before. He clapped him on the shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. He was shaking under Dustin’s palm.

“You ever lost anyone, Dustin?” Hunter wondered, softly, his eyes fixed on Shane’s slack face.

Dustin clenched his jaw and slowly shook his head. He glanced across at Hunter and was shaken again by the pain on the blond man’s expression. “No. Not really. My grandma died a couple of years ago, but…” 

He seemed to be about to speak again, when Blake’s cry of pain made them both spin around.

“Nope. No, no, no. Still there. Still hurts. Ah, damn. Damn it,” the Navy Ranger clung to Tori again. She was shaking, holding him tightly again.

“So? Anything? What did that thing do to them?” she said, her voice loud with anger and fear. Blake made a reassuring noise automatically, but he was breathing heavy from the latest wave of pain.

Cam rubbed the back of his own neck, staring at the screen of a different scanning device.

“What the hell happened?!” Hunter demanded, cupping Blake’s face.

“I need to run some more tests. There is a chemical altering Shane and Blake’s bodies. It’s attacking Blake’s pain receptors. The good news is, he got a low dose of it,” Cam explained.

“Can you fix it?” Hunter demanded.

“I’m not sure I know how. Especially not for Shane. I think…” he trailed off and studied the screen some more.

“Cam! Focus up here, dude. This is _my broth_ _er_ and-and Shane,” Hunter growled.

The Samurai faced him, undaunted as Hunter pushed into his space. “You need to calm down, Hunter. I am doing the best I can,” he said, forcefully.

“Well do better!” Hunter shouted.

Tori told him to back off. Cam hit back. While they were distracted, Dustin headed out the door and broke into a sprint. He had to be somewhere and he had to be there _now_.

Cam and Hunter were thrown apart by the double-tap strike of the Sensei’s tiny form. He stood back on Cam’s chair. “Ninjas! Attacking one another will not help the situation. Hunter, you must have faith that Cam will do everything in his power to help your brother!” the powerful voice of a skilled master sounded strange from the tiny lungs of a Guinea pig.

Cam watched Hunter for a moment, then pointed towards his computer. He and Hunter started walking towards it. “I’m running some simulations now. I think there is a connection between the physical contact that Blake and Tori have and the way that the chemical…”

The device in his hand loosed a long, loud beep and the screen flashed several times. “Hey, whoa! Whoa, what just happened?! What did you do?!” Cam cried, spinning around.

Tori and Blake had sprung apart instinctively. Everyone froze. There was too much shock in the room for anyone to realize that Dustin hadn’t chimed in with a perfectly timed statement of the obvious. Blake wasn’t screaming in pain, even with a few feet of space between him and his girlfriend.

Cam hurried over with both of his devices, scanning Blake and muttering to himself. “There’s nothing…it’s all…how did this…”

“We didn’t…you don’t feel anything?” Tori stared at him.

He rolled his shoulders experimentally, winced a little, then shrugged. “Yeah, I mean…it hurts, but it’s not like before…what do you think Cam?”

Cam scratched his head, fiddled with a couple of dials, pushed his glasses up his nose. “Well…I mean, it is possible that…no. I don’t know. I give up. What did you do?” he stared at them curiously.

They exchanged a glance. “Well, we…” Blake started, going red.

“I kissed him. That’s all. We just kissed,” Tori explained, rolling her eyes. 

“That’s it?” Cam said, taken aback. Then his eyes widened. “That’s it!” He rushed back to his computer.

Blake and Hunter embraced.

“You scared the hell out of me,” Hunter muttered into his younger brother’s shoulder.

“Dude, _I_ scared me. That was…that was something else,” the Navy Ranger was obviously still shaken.

Hunter ruffled his hair, but his face was still tense. He embraced his brother again before crossing the room to where Shane still lay on the table.

“So what do you think, Cam? What about Shane? I mean, he got a full dose of it, right?” he called out. He leaned over and lightly touched the target-shaped burn that had scorched all the way through Shane’s clothes. Glitter stuck to his fingers as he scraped them together.

Cam didn’t respond. Tori knelt beside the table and picked up her friend’s hand. They all watched with bated breath. When nothing happened, Hunter swore and stood up with restrained violence in his movements. Tori was looking at his face, studying him, and came to a sudden realization. She looked between the Crimson Ranger and the Red as it dawned on her. Suddenly, there was a crash and every Ranger was on their feet, in attack stances.

Dustin fell into the room, morphed in his Ranger gear. He yanked his helmet off his head, to reveal sweat-tousled curls and gasped for air. “It’s….a love spell! They…you need…wait,” he noticed Blake and Tori standing apart and gestured wordlessly between them, still sucking in great heaves of air. “Oh, hey…you guys…you figured…it out?”

“Where did you go?” asked Tori.

“How do you know that?” demanded Cam.

Dustin flapped a hand dismissively. “ _Don’tworryaboutthat_ ,” he forced out in one breath, and started towards them. “It’s a kiss…that’s how…you break the spell…that alien-dude…gets his power from…broken hearts…so…” he gestured wildly again like his flapping hand explained it.

“How did you-” Cam started.

“So somebody has to kiss him?” asked Blake, glancing down at where Tori was still holding Shane’s hand. Her eyes widened.

“No, not anybody….that person…has gotta love him, romantically. It’s…it’s different chemicals, right?” Dustin looked at Cam for support, who was still frowning at him.

“Sure, because the magic love spell that my computers can’t figure out has a lot to do with science and chemicals, Dustin,” he sighed. “It might work,” he admitted when everyone continued to stare at him.

“But…if it’s romantic love: Shane’s single. He doesn’t have a girlfriend…or a boyfriend…” she added, and then looked across at Hunter.

He didn’t meet her eyes.

Dustin was standing right beside him. “He doesn’t have to, right Hunter?” said the Yellow Ranger wryly. 

The Crimson Ranger straightened and ran a hand through his hair. He stared down at Shane, hands shaking. His face was grey, lined, as if he’d aged ten years.

“Wait…what?” spluttered Cam.

Dustin chortled. “Hey; that’s usually my line.”

“Can you guys just…!” Hunter burst out, then took a deep breath “Give me a sec, here?” he continued, resigned into calm now.

“Yes, I believe we shall adjoin in the training room,” said Sensei wisely.

Slowly, the Rangers cleared the room. Hunter sat down on the edge of the table and scrubbed his hands over his face.

“Well…secret’s out,” he addressed the empty room.

Shane hadn’t moved. His bare chest rose and fell slowly, the spelled sleep keeping it’s claws deep in his mind. Hunter swallowed and leaned over. His heart pounded in his ears as he watched Shane breath, matched his own breathing with his until he felt calmer.

“I really hope this works, coz…look: I need you to wake up, because there’s no way you’re leaving me in charge of these losers. I’m not dealing with Lothor by myself, either. So. This better work,” Hunter bent over Shane and pressed a kiss to his mouth, softly.

In the next room, Cam rounded on Dustin furiously.

“Dustin-”

The Yellow Ranger held up a hand to halt the tirade. “Look, man, can we just…can we just leave it?”

“Dustin, I too believe you owe us an explanation. Where did you get this information from?”

He scrubbed a hand through his hair and sighed. “From…from someone who would know, Sensei.”

“You are being deliberately evasive,” said the Guinea pig.

Blake snorted. “Yeah, no kidding. What is that supposed to mean? ‘ _Someone who would_ …’” he trailed off.

Tori, by his side, looked horrified. “Dustin…tell me you didn’t go to _her_?”

“Her, who?” questioned Cam crossly, trying to catch up.

Dustin folded his arms uncomfortably. He shrugged. “It’s _Shane_ , Tor. And she owed me.”

Suddenly, Cam got it. “You went to _Marah_?!”

“It worked, didn’t it?!” Dustin said defensively.

“Dustin, that was reckless. I believe-”

Hunter’s shout from the next room cut Sensei off. As one, the group abandoned the conversation and rushed out.

Shane was sitting up, feet on the floor, holding a hand over the target mark on his chest. Hunter was standing up, back turned. It was impossible to read his expression when he finally turned around.

“How do you feel?” asked Cam, armed once more with his devices.

“I feel fine. Kinda shaken up. Really confused. What happened? Last thing I remember was fighting that Cupid monster thing. Hunter said it knocked me…out. Where’s Hunter?”

The Crimson Ranger was gone.

“Ah, he’s probably fine. I’ll just go check on him,” Blake said stiltedly, thumbing towards the door. He was interrupted by Cyber Cam.

“Sorry to bust up the reunion guys. But that not-so-lovable dude is back, and this time he’s totally super-sized,” said the AI, gesturing at the computer.

“Okay, let’s go,” said Shane, getting to his feet.

“Shane. Don’t let your pride get in the way of your health. Are you sure you’re fit to fight?” cautioned Sensei.

“I’m good. You better call Hunter, Cam. We’ll see you out there,” ordered the Red Ranger, going to stand by Dustin and Tori.

“Ready?”

“Ready!”

 

The week that followed was the most uncomfortable, uneasy, silence-filled ticking-bomb that Dustin had ever witnessed, and he had handled actual ticking bombs. The Rangers continued to train, work, study and hang out—as much as they could with Hunter actively avoiding all of them and the rest of them dodging Shane’s attempts to ask how he’d been cured of Cupiditious’ spell.

By Saturday, Hunter had turned down a classic kung fu marathon in Tori’s basement.

On Sunday, he blew off riding at the track when he saw Shane hanging out there with Cam.

On Monday at training, he declined sparring with Shane, leaving the Red Ranger looking hurt and confused on the training mats.

Tuesday, he let Dustin drop off the climbing wall when the Yellow Ranger reached for a hand up.

Wednesday, he nearly got barred from the track for reckless riding.

Thursday he and Blake had a fight that ended in blows and Blake stayed over at Tori’s.

On Friday, Sensei took Hunter aside for an hour long conversation that ended with Hunter storming out of Ninjaops. He was at Storm Chargers for his afternoon shift, and left citing a meet up with Charlie from the Big Brother program.

Dustin watched him leave, scratching his head. Kelly was frowning too.

“Is it just me or has Hunter been really flakey lately? I mean, that race be blew on Wednesday was bad enough, but now he’s skipping out on work early,” she said, leaning on the counter.

Dustin sighed, tapping a wrench absently on the countertop, and watched with dawning realization as Shane ducked in the front door. He dropped the wrench with a clatter.

“Dude, you look like you just saw a ghost. What’s up?” Shane greeted cheerfully.

“What? Nothing! Nothing’s…I’m not, I mean. It’s nothing. What’s up with you?”

Shane looked questioningly at Kelly, who shrugged helplessly.

“Ah. Okaaaaay…well, I ordered some new bearings for my board, I thought I’d swing by and see if they were in yet?”

Dustin leapt at the opportunity to disappear out the back.

Shane and Kelly watched him go. As the door swung shut behind him, Shane gestured. “What is up with him?”

“Beats me. Maybe whatever’s up with Hunter’s is catching. That kid has been weird all week,” complained Kelly lightly, rounding the counter to ring up Shane’s order.

He tugged his wallet out of his pocket. “Yeah, I dunno about Hunter. The dude has been dodging me for days.”

Over Kelly’s shoulder, he saw Dustin coming through the door. He hesitated at Hunter’s name.

“You know what that’s about?” Kelly asked.

Shane handed over his VISA card. “If you figure it out, you can let me know,” he said.

Dustin put the box of bearings down on the counter and leaned on his elbow. “Dude…maybe you should talk to him. You know, this might be serious. Or not! You know, it’s not that serious, really. Maybe.”

Shane glared. “Hunter won’t _talk_ to me. None of you guys will!” he exclaimed.

As she printed his receipt, Kelly watched the hurt on Shane’s expand, mixing with frustration and a steely determination. Meanwhile, Dustin wouldn’t meet his gaze and just shrugged. She handed Shane the paper and gave him a sympathetic smile. With a final searching look at Dustin, Shane grabbed the box and left Storm Chargers.

As soon as the door shut behind him, Kelly punched Dustin’s arm. “You _do_ know what’s going on! Why won’t you tell him and put him out of his misery?”

“Ow, Kelly! Come on, I can’t okay? I wish I could, I really, really wish I could, but it’s so not my place to say anything. I’ve already said too much,” he threw his hands in the air helplessly.

“So what’s it about? I know Hunter and Shane don’t really get along, but this is ridiculous.”

He groaned dramatically and thumped his head on the counter. “I’m not supposed to say anything!” he moaned, voice muffled.

“Who am I going to tell? The demo models? Come on, Dustin. Maybe I could help. I do have a couple of years on you guys. I might have some sage piece of advice to fix this mess,” she cajoled.

Slowly, he lifted his head from his folded arms. She could see the conflict on his face. “Hunter likes Shane. Like, _like-like_. And he kinda…accidentally admitted it to us the other day. And then made all of us swear not to say anything, but it’s been super weird and totally awkward ever since! Man, I’ve known Shane since we were five! I’ve never kept a secret from him for longer than, like, a day and now? I mean Hunter’s pissed at himself and everyone else and he’s seriously taking it out on Shane and Blake, and none of us have got any idea what to do!” He blurted it all in a rush, standing taller and taller until he finished, and then sagged. The weight was lifted off his shoulders.

Kelly was shocked for a moment, then shook herself out of it. She laid a hand on Dustin’s shoulder comfortingly. The young man had his back to the front door as a figure walked in. The bell tinkled and he went to turn, but Kelly interrupted his motion by squeezing his arm. “You’re a really good friend, Dustin. To both of them. This is really hard, and it’s for Hunter and Shane to figure out. Hunter should know that Shane’s a really good guy, and he’d never treat him differently for how he feels. It’s not fair on any of you. You did the right thing,” she assured him.

Dustin smiled thankfully, starting to turn back to the front. “Well, yeah, we know all that but I don’t think Hunter….Hunter!”

The Crimson Ranger was standing in the middle of Storm Chargers, staring at them.

Kelly propped her hands on her hips and grimaced apologetically.

“Dude…” Dustin breathed, eyes wide.

“I…I gotta be somewhere, I just, I just…I forgot my toolkit,” fumbled Hunter. He stumbled past them.

Dustin exhaled very carefully and looked at Kelly, who shrugged. He squinted suspiciously at her and turned to follow Hunter out the back. They nearly collided at the back door, and Hunter didn’t stop even when Dustin called out to him.

*******

“You’re coming.” Hunter jolted awake, head snapping upright where he’d been slumped over the couch. He blinked heavily until the blur in front of him solidified into his brother.

Blake looked briefly apologetic for waking him, then stuck his hands on his hips and waited.

“Come where?” Hunter grated, sleep heavy on his voice. He dragged a hand over his face and flicked his wrist to look at his watch.

“To the beach tonight. Tori wants to surf Rocky Bay, Cam’s threatening to _mediate_ us and Dustin has got sad face. Nobody likes Dustin’s sad face, Hunter. It’s time to get over your big gay freakout-”

Blake didn’t get to finish, because Hunter was abruptly on his feet and looming over him. It was the flinch that made him stop. There was still a bit of yellow around Blake’s cheekbone. His eyes were full of challenge, his jaw set at a stubborn angle, but Hunter knew his brother. He knew the twitch on his cheek that meant he was biting down on the inside of his mouth and the flexing of his fingers like he warming his hands for a fight was a nervous gesture more than a ready one. He fell backwards back onto the couch and covered his face with his hands. He’d taken extra shifts at the mechanics on Main Street, and he and Blake had been stacking shelves at the supermarket, but college tuition was expensive and so was new parts for their bikes. Revenge didn’t pay, and the savings their parents had left them had gotten eaten up by their vengeance jaunt last year.

The old couch sagged as Blake fell in beside him.

“I’m sorry, man. I shouldna said that,” he said, always the first to admit he was wrong.

Even when he wasn’t. Hunter dropped his hands into his lap and groaned. “It’s not a gay freakout. I’m _good_ with being gay,” Hunter grunted.

“It's a Shane thing,” commiserated his brother.

“I can’t even look him in the face, Blake. I don’t even know how to start making this okay.”

Blake clapped him on the shoulder. “You start by making your chilli,” he informed him seriously.

Rocky Bay was the nearly impenetrable bay tucked between mountains behind Ninjaops. At some point, they’d all taken to hanging out there after training. Campfires on the sand, watching Tori surf the high tide when the rocks and reef weren’t too gnarly; basically blowing off steam. They had built a shack that backed against the rocks on one side. Blake and Hunter did most of the actual building, with heavy lifting by Shane and plans by Cam, while Tori surfed and Dustin tried to stay out of the way out of power tools. Night came to the Bay fast, plunging cold darkness over them as soon as the sun dropped behind the spur of the peninsula.

Dustin had, as always, over-eastimated his ability to handle Hunter’s chilli while Cam and Shane argued the merits of video games and hand-eye-coordination. Finishing off his own chili, Hunter finished laughing at Dustin’s streaming eyes and kicked back on the sun-warmed sand. The fire crackled, hot against the soles of his boots. Directly across from him, Cam was excitedly explaining some new advance in virtual reality to Shane, who looked confused but affectionate.

Hunter propped himself on his elbow, taken by the firelight playing against the Red Ranger’s brown skin. The darkness of his eyes threw back perfect echoes of the flames and for a split second, Hunter entertained a fantasy about tracing the tiny lines at the corners of his eyes with his fingertips. He shook himself out of it and reached behind him into the cooler.

“Anyone want a drink?” he called, holding up two beers.

“I’ll have a Coke,” Cam replied.

“Always the responsible one, Cameron,” teased Hunter, tossing Blake the other can in his hand. He passed Dustin the Coke bottle to hand to Cam and cracked his own drink. It was cheap beer, and only a twelve pack between the three beer drinkers; Blake, Tori and himself. Dustin might have one, but he was currently emptying a Coke, having been defeated by the remaining chili in his bowl. Hunter reached across the sand and dragged the bowl towards him, peering into it. He laughed when he saw how much was left—which was a lot—and grabbed his own spoon to finish it off.

“Hey, come on! My pride is like seriously hurt. One of these days, I’m gunna beat your chili, I swear,” Dustin defended himself.

Hunter sucked his spoon clean. “You keep telling yourself that,” he drawled.

“Didn’t you ever learn about cudies, Blake? Coz I hear girl germs are vicious!” Shane’s needling tease make them look over.

Blake was sitting back against a log with Tori stretched out on the ground in front of him, cuddled between his knees with her back to his chest. With her head resting back on his shoulder, they were idly making out when Shane interrupted them. Tori threw a piece of dried up seaweed at him that bounced off Cam’s glasses instead. Midst laughter, they almost missed Dustin’s offhand comment;

“True love’s kiss must cancel that out. Or alien love spells,” he was grinning, not thinking, just looking affectionately at Tori and Blake.

Everyone froze. Tried not to look straight at Shane or Hunter.

Shane was sitting very still. Hunter was frozen, waiting.

“Love spell? What, Cupiditious?” wondered Shane, a sharp undertone to his voice, the bay of a hound with the scent.

Dustin’s mouth was a perfect O. He looked desperately at Tori, who grimaced helplessly. “What? No, no, I was just…”

Shane was looking across the fire at Hunter. The blonde man sat up, meeting Shane’s searching gaze. His jaw was set mulishly, eyes flashing hurt and pain. As realization blazed across Shane’s face, Hunter got up and stalked away from the circle. Dustin was on his feet, calling after him, when Shane reached out and stopped him.

“I’m right, aren’t I?” he asked softly.

Dustin looked hunted and said nothing. Shane looked around at the others' faces, exhaled and pursed Hunter with careful footsteps. Behind them, he could hear Dustin cursing himself out, Blake comforting him.

The Crimson Ranger had come to a stop at the end of the beach, where the sand met the cliff-face. He faced the sea, hands on his hips. Moonlight reflected off the water and cast strange shadows on his face.

“Dude, ah. I dunno what to say…” Shane admitted slowly.

“Nothin’ to say. Just leave it alone,” replied Hunter angrily.

“Come on. This isn’t nothing. You’ve been weird for a week, and it is effecting the whole team-”

“Well, it’s none of their freaking business!” Hunter shouted.

He wore his rage well, like a berserker in a bearskin cloak, Shane thought dizzily. “It is when you’re like this! Just talk to me, man!” he pleaded.

Hunter dragged a hand over his face. He looked close to tears as he shrugged helplessly, clenching his jaw. He tilted his head back and stared at the sky. “What do you want me to say?” he asked, defeated,

“The truth.”

With a sharp inhale, Hunter rounded on Shane. “I kissed you,” he spat.

“You saved my life,” Shane replied, forcibly, earnest eyes holding Hunter captive. There was honesty raw on his features, as if he’d stripped back every emotion he felt except this, leaving the truth naked on his face. He tilted his head, looking for a response. “Didn’t you?”

Hunter paused for a long time before replying. “He fed off broken hearts, that freak back there. He…he put a spell on you, a spell that could only be broken with a….it took…yeah. Me. To wake you up.” He was shaking by the end of it.

“Why didn’t you just tell me?” Shane wanted to know.

“Seriously?! That’s all you’re going to say?” Hunter gaped at him.

Helplessly, Shane threw his hands in the air. “What did you think I was gunna say?” he demanded.

Gulping, Hunter withdrew. He laced his fingers on top of his head and walked a few steps away. “I dunno. Kick my ass or something,” he admitted, dropping his arms.

“For saving my life?” Shane cried.

With no response to that, Hunter just shrugged. For a long time, they dwelt in an awkward silence.

“Hunter, look; you’re a really hard guy to know. I mean, I can count on one hand everything I know about Blake but he’s an open book compared to you,” Shane said, arms spread wide.

“We’re barely even friends, Clarke-!” Hunter came into his space, a ball of defensive rage. Shane didn’t even rock back. He held his ground, looked at Hunter squarely.

“You never call me 'Clarke'. That is a weird defensive mechanism that you have literally never used,” he told him, unimpressed.

Hunter didn’t back off either. “We’re barely even friends, _Shane_. We went from trying to kill one another to teammates and my head got messed up somewhere in between,” he snarled.

“Okay. Fine. Then let’s work backwards. Let’s work on friends,” snapped Shane, frustrated now.

A few emotions played out across Hunter’s face; confusion warred with distrust and an unhealthy dose of embarrassment and rage. As he stepped back, a tiny flicker of hope gleamed and was instantly snuffed out. “Fine,” he spat.

They didn’t talk as they stood there, evaluating each other like wild animals.

Shane spoke first. He licked his lips and wiped his hands on his jeans. “What’s your favourite colour?” he blurted out.

“Seriously?”

“Well, is it crimson?” Shane asked, impatiently.

Hunter stared at him. Carefully, he pushed his hands into his pockets and shook his head. Shane raised his brows questioningly.

“Green…actually, I ah…I kinda like green.”

“See, there’s something I didn’t know about you before. Now I do,” said Shane calmly.

There was still anger and hurt simmering under Hunter’s skin. He shook his head at Shane, bewildered. “So, what? We’re suddenly cool because you know my favourite colour?”

“Why not? Weirder stuff has happened. For real. We fight aliens, our sensei is a rodent and occasionally we wear spandex. It feels like we can’t catch a break lately, so we’ve gotta start making our own,” he said it like it was easy.

Shane’s Random Question Time continued to crop up as time passed. 

They were taking a run along the ridge above Ninjops when he asked his next one. Hunter was just ahead of him, climbing the steep, rocky track.

“Chocolate or vanilla?” he called out.

Hunter paused, holding onto a stubby bush to keep his feet as he looked over his shoulder at Shane. For a moment, Shane figured that he wasn’t going to answer. There was suspicion heavy in his eyes, and distrust.

“Neither. Caramel,” he answered eventually, and resumed the climb.

Circling one another after a solid exchange of blows in a spar, Shane caught his breath enough to ask: “Cats or dogs?”

Hunter ducked the punch he threw directly after that question. There was an unconscious grin on his face, the same one he always wore during a spar; it was sharp and wild and brilliant and showed all his teeth and the top of his mouth guard. Shane only considered an exercise a success when that grin came out to play.

“Neither! Never had pets,” he shot back with laughter in his voice and pummeled an eye-blurring fast series of kicks at Shane’s torso.

Two of them connected solidly with Shane’s ribs. “You’re a dog person for sure. Something big and hairy that molts on the furniture,” he decided through gritted teeth, limping to keep moving and glaring at Hunter’s unfailing smirk. _Something unfailingly loyal with a bad reputation, some breed like a German Shepherd or a Rottweiler that craves attention and love but is constantly misunderstood_ , Shane thought. The offshoot of his train-of-thought nearly cost him another bruise, as Hunter lunged at him.

Later, Shane managed to break his arm while skating. One of his friends took him to hospital before he could protest; after all, he could hardly say that the broken arm would heal as soon as he morphed and the Power Ranger super-healing took care of it.

Sitting in the ER waiting for his Gran to come and get him, the last person Shane expected to see was Hunter, peering around the edge of the curtain looking out of place and uncomfortable.

“Ah…hey,” he said awkwardly. “Your, ah, your Gran is here? She’s signing some insurance stuff.” He pushed back the curtain and thumbed over his shoulder.

Shane groaned and hopped off the bed. “Thanks, man. What are you doing here?” he stopped short. “Crap. Is Blake alright?”

What were the odds of two Power Rangers ending up in the ER at the same time?

But Hunter was already shaking his head, holding up his hands. “Yeah, whoa, no. Blake’s fine…um, Dustin called. Yeah. He said you were here. I was…around,” he said dismissively.

Before Shane could question that, his Gran bustled into view.

“Shane Clarke, what am I going to do with you? That damn board of yours, I swear! Thank you for tracking him down, darling,” she grabbed Hunter’s hand in both of hers and squeezed, blessing him with her gap-toothed, twinkle-eyed smile.

Shane watched the Crimson Ranger’s shell-shocked awe affectionately. He was knocked out of it by his Gran’s tight fingers pinching his arm, quick and sharp.

“You had this boy all in knots out there, Shane. He’s been waiting out there an hour, Dr Chan and Rangi told me!”

“Ow, Gran, I didn’t know! You have?!”

Hunter had gone distinctly red. “It’s, it’s fine Mrs Clarke, really, I was…I was just…” he looked desperately at Shane, who took pity on him.

“We should go home, Gran. I’m feeling pretty wiped out,” Shane pouted pitifully and his Gran fussed over him before leading the two boys out of the hospital.

“You know the doctors by name?” Hunter interrupted when Shane went to speak.

“Uh. Yeah. Rangi is my cousin. And I…” Shane trailed off, kicking a stone across the parking lot. “I had a lot of broken bones as a kid,” he said eventually, looking at his cast instead of at Hunter.

They stopped beside Hunter’s bike, which was parked at an odd angle. His helmet was on the ground. Shane watched him as he grabbed it, trying for nonchalant and missing.

“Hunter. I called Dustin, like, ten minutes ago,” he pointed out, softly.

Throwing his leg over the bike, Hunter fiddled with the keys. “Yeah, well, you’re on pain meds and maybe you like hit your head or something so time isn’t feeling right for you or whatever, and-”

“Hunter,” Shane interrupted, sternly. He sighed through his nose and closed his eyes.

“Yeah?”

“Thanks.”

Their eyes met tentatively, then they both kept looking. The front of Hunter’s hair was spiked with dried sweat, the blue of his eyes luminescent in the sunlight. His mouth was twisted apprehensively, but lines of stress drained from his face the longer he looked at Shane. Shane, standing there with his black hair flattened by his helmet, a lumpy white cast on his arm, a red t-shirt stretched around his chest and tight around his biceps.

“No problem,” Hunter replied with gravel in his voice.

Shane sighed unconsciously and looked carefully at his feet.

“I’ll see ya at Ninjops,” muttered Hunter, suddenly aware that Shane’s Gran was standing not far off, witnessing the conversation. He jammed his helmet on his head and started the bike. Shane watched him waddle the bike out of the park and turn the wheels for home. Before he took off, he looked sideways at Shane, who gave him an awkward wave with his cast-covered arm. Though it was hard to tell, Shane was pretty sure it made him smile.

The old Nissan had spot rust on the doors and smelt of ice cream by the sea, of rugby tournaments and skate comps and Tori, Dustin and Shane crammed in the back on their way to training when they were six and seven and eight. Shane had learned to drive in the old manual with it’s sticky third gear and the clutch that hurt his feet. Gran stared at him as he dropped into the passenger seat and shut the creaky door.

“What?” he asked without looking at her.

“Is there something you want to tell me?” she asked him directly.

He closed his eyes. “No…” he dragged out.

She hurrumphed. “Well, he’s a nice boy anyway. And delicious. Mmhm.”

Shane clapped a hand over his already-closed eyes to recover from hearing that particular sound of appreciation coming from his eighty-four year old grandmother.

 

Dustin and Hunter were helping Cam out with a service on the Tsunami Cycles when Shane wandered in from meditation. He leaned over the rack Tori’s bike was leaning in and handed Hunter a wrench when he cursed and peered around the floor near him looking for it. Hunter glanced beyond the hand offering, saw Shane and startled.

“Thanks,” he muttered, squinting back at the problem.

“How’d you guys get into bikes, anyway? You and Blake.”

There it was again; the split-second calculating look of mistrust. Shane watched Hunter deliberate, swallow hard and turn a loose bolt over in his fingers.

“Always have been. When we were kids, our house was right behind this moto track. We used to take our pushbikes down there and watch. Eventually, couple of the riders caught on. Kinda…kinda took us under their wing, you know?” He glanced up at Shane, still unsure, still careful.

Shane ducked his chin and smiled, lopsidedly. A smear of oil got left behind on Hunter’s cheek as he scratched uncomfortably at his jaw. Just behind him, Dustin had stopped working to listen in.

“When…when, um...our parents died…the track was…it was home. More than the Academy, more than any dojo, more than each other, even, I guess. The track was home…” he inhaled, his hands settling back into the familiar motions of changing out the oil. “We got into illegal races, to make money to compete. That was pretty crazy. Guns, drugs, people getting killed for money,” he looked right up at Shane, daring him to comment.

He didn’t react.

Eventually, Hunter dropped his challenging gaze. He shrugged. “It was also where, eventually, Lothor found us,” the words were blunt and harsh.

Shane was quiet for a moment. He was still leaning over the bike, looking down at Hunter’s work. He laced his fingers together and ignored the knuckles going white. “Me and Porter have different Dads. Our Mum…well, she was a kid herself when she had him, and then she had an affair with my father…I ended up with my Gran, around the start of high school because Porter’s Dad used to beat the crap out of me. We trained against Ninja Masters just as big as him, and I could hold my own on the mats, but when it was him, I froze up.” He gestured vaguely and straightened. His pulse beat against the skin of his throat.

Hunter craned his neck to stare up at him as Shane shoved his hands in his pockets. Dustin, who knew this story, had his back turned, checking an air filter. His shoulders were tense, the old anger on Shane’s behalf stretched tight like a new scar.

After a few heartbeats of staring at each other, Shane broke away and skittered out of the workshop. A few tools clattered as Hunter scrambled to his feet and followed him.

“Hey, wait a sec,” he called, grabbing Shane by the arm. He searched his eyes.

Shane allowed it, hands by his sides like surrender.

Finally, Hunter exhaled shakily. “Why’d you tell me that?” he demanded.

“Because you told me something about you and Blake when you were kids. Something I didn’t know. Now you know something that only Dustin and Tori know,” said Shane, like it was that simple, how he’d laid it all out on the beach. Like it was really that easy.

Hunter’s hand was still curled around Shane’s elbow. His fingers tightened briefly like a spasm. “Porter. Why didn’t Porter…?” he croaked.

Shane shrugged, not hard enough to make Hunter let go. “Me and Porter aren’t brothers like you and Blake…but I guess he’s trying now. So that’s…yeah,” he clenched his jaw and ticked one half of his mouth up in a small smile.

Hunter was still staring at him like he was trying to decode him. When his gaze slipped down to Shane’s mouth, he shook himself and hurriedly let go of his arm. “I’m sorry,” he murmured.

Feeling like he maybe didn’t want Hunter to let go at all, Shane shrugged again. They left it at that without another word.

 

Shane’s Gran was having a barbecue and forced him to invite all his friends. Usually, that meant Dustin and Tori; this time he invited Blake and Hunter too. Taking command of the food over the fire pit—because his Gran was Samoan and this was how she cooked outside—Shane watched Tori and Blake curled up on the loveseat and Dustin trying to learn how to cook from his Gran, and felt peace settle deep in his bones. Hunter wandered over and handed him a soft drink, a similar expression on his face as he looked around. There were uncles and aunties and twelve cousins under the age of ten rushing around the big backyard.

“How do you like your steak?” Shane asked, eyeing the meat without thinking about their ongoing, one-sided game of question.

“Bleeding,” said Hunter immediately.

“Good! Otherwise you could hit the road!” crowed one of Shane’s uncles, clapping Hunter on the back hard enough to knock the wind out of him.

Once he’d stopped laughing, Shane handed Hunter a plate loaded with barbecue meats. “He’s right. There is only one way to cook it around here bro.”

Hunter looked at him with an unusually soft smile on his face. “So I guess I know something about you now,” he said thoughtfully.

Shane paused. “You know heaps about me.”

It was as if the rest of the party drained away. There was just Shane with a spatula in his hand and Hunter drumming his fingers nervously on the bottom of the plate. There was a slight height difference between them that always made Shane a little bit smug, because when they stood eye-to-eye, Hunter had to tilt his chin just a little bit.

“Vanilla ice-cream, but strawberry milkshake,” blurted Hunter. He licked his lips and lowered his voice. “Red is actually your favourite colour. You only read comics because Dustin does, your Gran is allergic to cats so you’ve always had dogs, and you got your first board when you were six. You still have it. You want to be a doctor. Spiders scare the hell out of you. I’m pretty sure you have Blake’s shallow grave picked out for if he hurts Tori and you already know you want kids but you’re freaked out as well, I didn’t get why, because you’re great with kids. Way better than me, and it’s because you don’t want to end up like your Dad. And…” he trailed off, glanced around.

The group of uncles and older cousins who’d been gathered around the firepit on cave-man instinct had forcibly wandered off and were standing back trying to look casual. Tori and Blake were grinning, holding hands, and Shane’s Gran was watched with tears in her eyes.

“Aaannd everyone is staring,” Hunter muttered, looking down.

Shane tore his gaze away from the pink blush settling in across Hunter’s cheeks. He laughed when he looked around and saw their audience. “Yeah, I guess they are,” he said hoarsely. He leaned close. “Hey, do you want to go on dinner-to dinner, with me?”

Hunter blinked heavily and nearly dropped the plate. He might have said no on instinct if it wasn’t for that little word-fumble, the giveaway that Shane was nervous, tripping over himself. He stared, and this time there was more hope than mistrust hovering in his gaze as he searched once more, waiting with bated breath to wake up, for it all to go wrong, for Shane to say it was a joke. When it didn’t come, his blush deepened and he scuffed the back of his head. All the people watching make his skin prickle.

“Yeah…yeah, I do,” he said softly.

Shane’s grin was radiant. He ducked his head and swooped in to catch Hunter’s mouth. It was a kiss made of glass and sunbeams. The cheers and whoops and whistles that exploded from Shane’s family and the Rangers made them both smile, teeth clacking as the kiss dragged out. They didn’t quite separate when the kiss drifted to an end, instead leaning together, eyes drifting open. Shane pressed his nose quickly to Hunter’s and stepped back, shaking his head as the closest uncle clapped him on the shoulder and laughed at Hunter’s brilliant red cheeks.

Somehow, even at their most volatile, they stayed steady. Theirs was the one constant for the group bound together by Lothor’s treachery and their joint desires to protect the Earth.

Blake and Tori took a break and got back together and broke up again and found one another when Blake had three consecutive World Championships under his belt and Tori was running the ER ward at Blue Bay Harbor.

Dustin had Marah on and off again, secretly, until they finally called it quits and rediscovered themselves; Marah made for a hell of a celebrity reporter, even though she sometimes complained about Reef Side’s anchor who was blonde and stunning “ _-and, like, a total wannabe!”_ He found Kira in the aftermath of Lothor’s escape and eventual defeat at the hands of the Dino Thunder Rangers. She bought out all the best parts of him, built him up and made him better in ways nobody expected.

Shane’s hair was greying at the temple, and Hunter’s was creeping back from his forehead. They wore rings on their left hands and had six kids, two baby grandkids, three dogs and two cats—because Hunter turned out to be a cat person. The symmetry of the thing struck Hunter as he passed Shane a plate to load with barbecue meat. Dustin was throwing a ball back and forth with their youngest son, a ten-year-old they had adopted. Tori and Blake’s eldest was giving piggy-back rides to the younger kids, his sister taking video with her phone while Cam’s wife chatted with Sensei and bounced their baby on her knee. Hunter leaned over the plate to plant a lingering kiss on Shane’s mouth.

“Hey. What was that for?” Shane asked, looking a little dazed.

There was a soft smile on Hunter’s face, but he was interrupted before he could reply. Their eldest son, the strain of a newborn baby showing on his face, threw an arm around Hunter’s shoulders.

“Come on, you two! Aren’t you too old for that now?” he teased, grinning.

“Your Pa has still got plenty of kisses left in him. He’s pretty sexy for an old guy, you know,” Hunter informed him, ruffling his hair.

“God, Dad! Gross,” said their daughter, coming over to take the cooked food from Hunter.

Shane kept his head down, laughing quietly.

They left and Hunter kissed him again. Shane quirked an eyebrow questioningly.

“I was just wondering where that alien Cupiditious might have ended up after all these years,” he admitted, caressing the deep lines at the corners of Shane’s eyes. He remembered clearly dreaming of doing exactly that, laying on the beach at Rocky Bay.

“Why would you be wondering that?” demanded Shane, shaking his head.

Hunter looked around again and shrugged. “I dunno. I kind of owe him a lot. I mean,” he grinned and looked back at Shane. “It was a little rough to start with.”

“A little? You were a jerk,” chortled Shane.

Hunter grinned. “Yeah, but I came through in the end, didn’t I?”

Taking Hunter’s hand, Shane laid a kiss on the wedding ring wrapped around his finger and smiled. “Yeah. I guess you did.”


End file.
